This invention relates generally to improvements in door latch and lock systems of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,077, having multiple bolt-type members to achieve secure multipoint closure and locking of a door, such as an entry door for a residence or business establishment. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved door lock system having at least one latch bolt mounted along a free side edge of the door for engagement with an associated strike set on the adjacent door jamb, wherein said at least one latch bolt is movable from a normal latched position to a further extended deadbolt position to perform a deadbolt locking function. The improved system of the present invention is directed to additional header and/or sill lock pins for movement with said at least one latch bolt from a normally retracted position to an advanced deadbolt locking position engaged with respective header and/or sill keepers, in response to latch bolt displacement to the further extended deadbolt position.
Door latch and lock assemblies for use with hinged swinging doors are generally known in the art, and typically include at least one movable lock member mounted at a selected vertical position along a free side edge of the door in proximity with an actuator positioned for convenient manual access and operation. For example, a spring-loaded latch bolt is normally mounted on the door at a mid-height position and springably projects from the free side edge of the door to engage a strike or keeper plate mounted on the adjacent door jamb, to retain the door in a normal closed and latched position. A handle or lever, typically of rotary design, is commonly included as part of the latch and lock assembly, and is adapted for manual displacement to retract the latch bolt from the strike plate and thereby permit the door to be opened. In some door hardware designs, such as typically higher-end hardware, a rotary handle or lever is replaced by a relatively large and more decorative fixed handle in combination with a relatively small actuator lever positioned for thumb-depression to retract the latch bolt. Other designs have proposed a pivotally mounted hand-grip style lever for manually retracting the latch bolt, as disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Application 60/724,647, now U.S. Ser. No. 11/538,175, published as U.S. Publication 2007/0080541, which is incorporated by reference herein. Such lock assemblies commonly include at least one lock device which may be designed to preclude latch bolt retraction in the locked condition, and/or may comprise a separate deadbolt for use in selectively locking the door.
Although such door latch and lock assemblies as described above have generally performed their latching and/or locking functions in a satisfactory manner, there has been an on-going desire and need for further improvements in entry door security for residences and business establishments. Toward this end, so-called multipoint lock assemblies have been developed wherein multiple lock members such as multiple retractable latch bolts are provided at vertically spaced positions along the free side edge of the door for engaging a corresponding number of strike plates mounted at corresponding positions on the adjacent door jamb. In some designs, the multiple lock members are adapted for independent actuation, with the unfortunate result that frequently only one of the lock members is engaged due to human forgetfulness and/or neglect. In other designs, the multiple lock members are adapted for concurrent actuation by means of a single rotary-mounted operator handle or lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,077, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an exemplary multipoint door lock assembly including multiple retractable latch bolts mounted at vertically spaced positions along the free side edge of an entry door or the like. A primary latch bolt is positioned generally at a mid-height location in close proximity with an actuator mechanism. A pair of secondary latch bolts are respectively positioned vertically above and below the primary latch bolt, and are linked by slide-mounted extension rods with the actuator mechanism. Rotary-mounted lever handles or the like mounted respectively at outboard and inboard sides of the door are manually grasped and individually rotated to operate the actuator mechanism to retract all three latch bolts in a substantially concurrent manner. When the rotary lever handle is released, one or more springs incorporated into the mechanism cause the latch bolts (and lever handle) to return automatically and substantially concurrently to a normal latched position. As is known in the art, each latch bolt normally includes one tapered face to accommodate automatic spring-loaded retraction as the latch bolt engages the associated strike plate during door closure movement, followed by automatic re-extension of the latch bolt to the normal latched position extending into a strike plate keeper recess as the door reaches the closed position. For enhanced security, the latch bolts are further movable from the normal latched position to a further extended deadbolt position projecting a further distance into the strike plate recess, wherein this extended deadbolt position can be associated with disablement of the outboard or outdoor-side lever handle.
Multipoint door lock assemblies of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,077 beneficially provide enhanced security against unauthorized entry or tampering. In addition, multipoint lock assemblies have demonstrated significantly improved capacity to retain the door in a securely closed and locked position when subjected to adverse weather conditions, particularly such as strong hurricane-force winds. As such, these multipoint door lock assemblies are becoming increasingly popular.
The present invention relates to further improvements in and to multipoint door lock assemblies, particularly of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,077, wherein the door lock assembly further includes one header and/or sill lock pin movable into secure locked engagement with an associated header and/or sill keeper, in response to movement of at least one latch bolt to an advanced deadbolt locking position.